Peripheral skeletal tuberculosis of the foot. Etiologic review and case study.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a disease that is being reported much more frequently in the literature, primarily because of the rapid increase in severely immunocompromised patients, but also because of the development of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis strains. Extrapulmonary M. tuberculosis is also reportedly on the rise, and may manifest itself at a number of sites in the body, including the peripheral skeleton. It is important to recognize peripheral tuberculosis osteomyelitis early because early treatment can effectively eliminate long-term morbidity. The authors present a review of the diagnosis and treatment of extrapulmonary M. tuberculosis, with special emphasis on peripheral skeletal tuberculous osteomyelitis. A case study involving peripheral skeletal tuberculous osteomyelitis in the foot is presented.